


Honeybee

by ExpressAndAdmirable



Series: The Heroes of Light [52]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types, Final Fantasy I
Genre: Bards Being Bards, Gen, Sex Shop, Shopping, Slice of Life, Team as Family, Tiefling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-03 05:35:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13334559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExpressAndAdmirable/pseuds/ExpressAndAdmirable
Summary: Lux and Morgan explore Scanderimus and find a pleasant diversion from being Heroes.





	Honeybee

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was constructed out of a number of conversations with Morgan’s player as well as K from @systemglitch here on AO3. It’s also the second piece to reference its title song; give it a listen [here](https://youtu.be/ojYK6CW8gdw). Finally, Petyr is based on a real piece of Halloween decor I found this year, viewable [here](https://n.nordstrommedia.com/ImageGallery/store/product/Zoom/17/_101603397.jpg). He’s horrifying.

“Wanna go exploring?”

Morgan – Cidney Morgan, or Cid, now that there were two Morgans present – paused her tinkering, setting the half-finished music box on the desk and turning backwards in her chair to focus on the Tiefling. “Where?”

Lux shrugged as she palmed the strings of her shamisen. “Maybe the merchants’ row? We’ve done enough walking around to get a pretty good layout of the city, but we’ve had so many pressing tasks we haven’t had the chance to just wander. We could pick up supplies, peek in windows…” She smiled. “Find a tea shop. Get out of the house for a bit.”

Given the shadow that flitted across Cid’s expression at those last words, Lux knew she had struck a nerve. Perhaps that was good. The Gnome’s entire world had turned upside-down in the past two days, and hiding in her (adopted?) parents’ home, its unfamiliar walls heavy with memories she did not possess, was doing nothing to calm her raging mind. After a moment, she nodded. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

“Okay.” Uncurling from her position on the floor, Lux stood at a stoop in the Gnome-sized bedroom. “Is it alright if I leave these in here?” she asked, gesturing to her instruments and notebook. “I think Sol is sleeping and I don’t want to disturb her.”

“Yeah, of course.” Wiping her hands on a rag, Cid stood from her chair and let out a definitive huff. “Let’s go.” Lux nodded her assent and fell into step a pace behind, letting Cid lead the way out of the house and into the street.

Though the clock in the hallway had read half past two, the relative lack of natural light kept the city of Scanderimus in perpetual sunset, the rows of buildings set into the walls of the volcano bathed in the warm glow of the magma far beneath. Hot, dry air ruffled the pair’s clothing as they walked, bringing with it a sense of hushed excitement; word of Gurgu’s return had spread throughout the city, and the citizens’ joy buzzed like electric currents on the breeze. Aside from the occasional gleeful whisper as they passed, however, the Heroes were allowed to wander unmolested, for which Lux was thankful. While Cid loved her mother very, very much, Lux wasn’t sure the poor Gnome could handle any more doting attention.

While Cidney Morgan may never have considered herself an “adventurer” before destiny reared its ugly head, her wide-eyed curiosity and thirst for knowledge made her a delightful window-shopping companion. Spying an artful display of mechanical contraptions, she raced forward and pressed her nose against the glass. “Ooh! What do you think these are? Let’s find out!” Before Lux could reply, her friend had already disappeared through the door.

They were, as it turned out, kitchen appliances, powered by the force Sarah Morgan had explained as “electricity”. It seemed as if everything in Scanderimus ran on invisible controlled lightning. Cid requested demonstrations of each and every piece of machinery, plying the shopkeep with questions as to their functionality and inner workings. The shopkeep was patient in their explanations, even after it became apparent their customers were not planning to purchase; perhaps realising who said customers were, the older Gnome gifted Cid with a pouch of gears and other metal scraps for use in her personal projects. Eyes shining, Cid promised she would put each piece to good use.

Having brightened considerably since they first set out, Cid peeked through the window of the next shop in the row. “Tunics!” she chirped. Then: “I could probably use some new clothing… I’ve been washing the same few shirts since we left Corneria.”

“Did you not get anything in Aelfheim?” Lux frowned. She assumed everyone had restocked their wardrobes in the Elvish city – save for Sol, who had studiously avoided leaving the manor grounds during their stay.

Cid shook her head. “Couldn’t find anything me-sized that wasn’t for children. By the time I thought about having something made, it was time to go.”

“Well,” Lux responded with a grin, “good thing we’re in a city where everything is you-sized.”

Several tunics and trousers later, the pair ambled into the next few shops, finally stopping to take a closer look at a tiny room piled high with antiques from all over the region. Books in languages neither of them could read lined one wall while mismatched porcelain and ceramic crockery sat precariously against another. The table in the centre was littered with odds and ends, everything from statues of obscure gods to an ornate set of mahjong tiles. Rifling through a stack of papers, Lux uncovered several pages of interesting sheet music, while Cid found herself a battered mess kit she decided she could use for crafting (or, she supposed, its intended purpose).

As they exited the antique shop, Lux paused, her gaze fixed on a sign a few buildings down. “Huh. Do you mind if I drop in there?”

Cid cocked her head, taking a few steps closer to peer at the rather distinct window display. “What’s… Oh! An erotic shop!”

“Yeah. If you don’t mind, I’d like to… look for a few things.” Lux weighed her words carefully. While she carried no shame regarding the intimacy of her relationship, there was a limit to what one shared with others, and she preferred to err on the side of ‘ _no-one’s business but mine_ ’. “Is that alright?”

To Lux’s surprise, Cid smiled warmly. “Of course!” she replied, already setting off toward the shop. Just as the Tiefling opened her mouth to ask if Cid wanted to wait outside, the smaller woman blinked at the window. “Is that… mechanical?”

“I guess we’re going to find out.”

The shop’s stock was impressive even by Lux’s standards, with an array of items sized for customers of her stature as well as for the Gnomish residents of the city. She considered her options carefully, making her selections, fulfilling the wish list she and Sol had developed in their idle conversations. Wouldn’t she be surprised.

“Lux! Look at this!” Bounding up to the Tiefling, Cid presented a slim, rounded piece of metal that somewhat resembled one of the bullets from her gun. She dropped it into Lux’s palm and pointed to the little dial at the top. “Turn that!”

Lux did as she was told, nearly jumping out of her skin as the gadget buzzed to life in her hand. She stared at it. “What…?”

“I found it over there.” Cid pointed to the far wall, thrilled by her discovery. “They have a whole bunch of things with tiny motors! The craftsmanship is _amazing!_ ”

Following Cid’s gesture, Lux squinted at the rack of elegant clockwork toys, tilting her head in confusion until realisation finally dawned. “Huh.” She turned off the vibrating device and added it to her purchase.

“Gnomish lesson!” Cid announced as they approached the last shop on the row. “You know all the letters on that sign; try giving it a read.”

Humming to herself, Lux pieced the sloping shapes into a word. “It says… ‘Strange’?”

“Good!” Cid beamed. “The closest translation is ‘oddities’. I bet there’ll be some fun things in–” Her expression went slack. “Ohh…”

Lux looked over the Gnome’s head and through the shop’s front window, flinching backward as she saw what had grabbed her friend’s attention. A small, oddly slender wooden pumpkin sat on a cushion, a hideous toothy grin carved into its front. Little gears had been nailed into the wood above the maw, creating mismatched eyes that stared in two different directions. It was one of the most unsettling things Lux had seen in some time. “Oh, gods…”

“I need him.” Eyes the size of dinner plates, Cid looked up at the Tiefling. “I need him!”

“Wha… _Why?_ ”

“Because!” Cid turned back to the window. “He’s unique. And… He looks like he could do with a friend.”

“I… Huh.” Lux allowed her words to fade, taken aback by the sincerity of Cid’s answer. Contemplative silence lingered. Then: “What’s his name?”

Cid thought for a moment. “Petyr. He was the hero of my favourite book series when I was young. Well… Young in this lifetime.” She peered in the window again and nodded. “Yeah. He looks like a Petyr.”

Lux was not entirely sure he looked like anything deserving of a name, but that did not matter. “Alright. Better go get him, then.”

With her new friend safely in hand, Cid was ready for tea. The pair scanned the restaurants dotting the row, eventually selecting a pleasant-looking cafe with outdoor seating built to accommodate patrons of varying sizes. As they settled themselves at one of the tables, Cid placed Petyr on the additional chair, looking deeply pleased with the arrangement. Lux tried to ignore his manic expression.

The tea arrived quickly, but Lux’s attention had been drawn elsewhere, to the trio of servitor units who had appeared at the edge of the seating area. Stepping onto a low buskers’ stage, two of the servitors retrieved guitars from their backs while the third smiled a metallic smile and waved at the cafe’s customers. The servitors lacked the fluid movements of the higher-functioning models they had met in the city, but when they began to play, all thoughts as to their construction vanished from Lux’s mind.

A slow, melancholy ballad floated through the air, the three servitors singing in perfect harmony. The song spoke of a lost love, affectionately known as “honeybee”, without whom the speaker was going slowly mad. Lux’s fingers twitched against the table as she listened, committing the notes and lyrics to memory. When the performers finished, she and Cid burst into enthusiastic applause, their joy far exceeding that of the other patrons; spying their fans, the three servitors grinned and waved before launching into their next song.

“You were trying to memorise that, weren’t you?” Cid asked when Lux turned back to the table. “Did you get it?”

“For the most part, yes. I can reconstruct anything I missed when we get back.” Lux smiled. “How are you feeling, honeybee?”

“Good.” Swirling the tea in her cup, Cid considered her answer, flushing slightly at the newfound nickname. “Better.” She paused again. “There’s still a lot I don’t understand. A lot I need to think about, and a lot of answers I need to find.” She looked up at the Tiefling. “But I think I needed this. This feels nice. Even… normal.”

Lux snorted into her tea. “Normal? I don’t know the meaning of the word.” She set her cup back on its saucer and reached for Cid’s hand. “I’m glad. Tomorrow will get Weird again, but for today, we deserve to be normal.” She glanced at their companion. “Though I have to be honest, Petyr’s making it a bit difficult.”

Cid giggled. “He’s no less normal than Maergrahn.”

“Touche.” Lux sipped her tea, letting a comfortable silence descend over their table as they listened to the servitors’ music. Today, they deserved to be normal.

**Author's Note:**

> Title song by Steam Powered Giraffe.
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr at @expressandadmirable for a proper table of contents for the Heroes campaign, commissioned character art, text-based roleplay snippets and more!


End file.
